City of Swords (45 page)

Rinaldo had been Pope for only days and he had been killed in Bellezza. No matter that it wasn’t clear if he’d been strangled by Giuliana’s father or shot accidentally by a Bellezzan guard. He had died in the lagoon city where he had done so much damage in the past. Rodolfo couldn’t imagine how much danger that would put the Stravaganti in. But he didn’t want to break up the party. There was feasting and dancing to be done that wasn’t going to stop because of one man’s death, even if that man was the most important member of the Reman Church.

Aurelio was playing his harp and for once the air was not melancholy; it was piercingly beautiful.

‘Should we take some of this lovely food to Laura?’ said Isabel. ‘It’s such a shame she’s missing everything. And I want to know how Ludo is.’

She and Sky piled a plate with goodies and set off to Ludo’s sickroom.

‘She’s not here!’ said Sky, looking round the room.

Ludo was lying in the dark. There was no sign of Laura.

‘God, he looks rough,’ said Isabel.

The Manoush’s breath was harsh and rasping and he was burning up with fever.

‘We’d better fetch Rodolfo,’ said Sky.

In the other world, Ludo was in a ward with a line in his arm feeding him with powerful antibiotics. His wound had been washed and painted with antiseptic and given a fresh dressing. He was now wearing a coarse blue and white striped hospital gown and Laura had the Talian garment in a plastic bag.

‘Don’t leave me, Laura,’ he said, panicking when she explained that she must get back home.

The sky was turning light outside.

‘Who is this?’ Ludo asked, when David came back with some cups of coffee.

‘I told you before,’ said Laura. ‘It’s Luciano’s father, David. He came and fetched us from the shop when I brought you here from Talia.’

‘This is the future?’ asked Ludo. His eyes were big and frightened.

‘I rather think it is for you, chum,’ said David. He looked at them both with infinite pity.

Rodolfo came to Ludo’s room bearing a lighted torch. The doctor, who had taken a break to get something to eat because Laura had promised to stay with his patient, was very worried.

‘She said she would stay with him,’ he protested.

‘I think she did,’ said Rodolfo quietly.

Only Sky and Isabel knew what he meant.

‘Oh no,’ said Isabel. ‘This is going to get very complicated, isn’t it?’

‘I want you all to go home, straight away,’ said Rodolfo.

They had never heard him sound so serious and urgent.

‘Quickly, call the others together and stravagate as fast as you can,’ said Rodolfo. ‘Something is going to happen here and I can’t say what effect it will have. If you don’t go now, you might not be able to.’

They didn’t need to be told twice. Isabel had a horrible vision of being stuck in Talia for ever, like Luciano. She and Sky rounded up the other Stravaganti including Vicky. It was incredibly difficult; they were dispersed throughout the banqueting room and everyone had been drinking.

‘Mum!’ said Luciano. ‘Don’t go yet! The party will go on for ages.’

‘Your Rodolfo says we must, apparently,’ said Vicky. ‘You know I don’t want to leave you. Or you,’ she said to Arianna.

The newly-weds felt the first pangs of alarm. Luciano saw what the others were doing and went with them to the nearest bedchamber.

It looked ridiculous – six people piling on to a bed and holding a collection of objects, trying to fall sleep while a kind of panic spread through the room. Luciano and Doctor Dethridge went from one to the other, placing their hands over the Stravaganti’s eyes and murmuring sleep charms.

‘What is happening?’ asked Arianna, standing in the doorway in her wedding finery.

‘I don’t know,’ said Luciano. ‘Something big. But trust your father.’

As they stood and watched, the figures melted from the bed, disappearing back to their own world.

‘I’m so glad she came,’ said Arianna, holding Luciano’s hand.

‘So am I,’ he said.

And then there was a noise like thunder, rending the palace from roof to floor with a deafening sound. Instinctively Luciano and Arianna raced to Ludo’s room.

‘He’s gone,’ said Rodolfo.

The body lay on the bed and they could see at a glance that there was no life left in it.

‘And what else?’ asked Luciano.

‘I don’t know yet,’ said Rodolfo.

‘What shall we do?’ asked Arianna.

Rodolfo straightened his shoulders.

‘We shall finish celebrating your wedding,’ he said. ‘Come on, there is a party waiting downstairs.’

‘And just leave him here?’ asked Luciano.

‘He is not here,’ said Rodolfo, locking the door behind him.

Laura and David were still with Ludo when a jolt ran through his body as if he had received an electric shock.

‘Nurse! Nurse!’ called David.

‘Shh,’ said a man in the bed next door. ‘Some of us are trying to sleep!’

A nurse came and took Ludo’s pulse. He was awake but shivering.

‘I feel strange,’ he said.

‘I can’t see anything wrong,’ said the nurse. ‘How are you feeling now?’

‘Heavy,’ said Ludo. He looked at Laura with a mixture of fear and admiration. ‘But I think I will feel better soon.’

‘See if you can sleep,’ said the nurse. ‘You’ll start feeling better in the morning.’ She switched off his overhead light and turned to Laura and David. ‘Why don’t you go home?’ she said. ‘Come back later in the morning. He’ll be fine.’

‘It was the only way to save you,’ whispered Laura, as she kissed Ludo goodbye.

‘I know,’ he said, kissing her back and clinging on to her hand. ‘Thank you.’

And she walked away down the ward holding David’s arm tightly. She knew when they came back in daylight that Ludo would have a shadow.

Luciano and Arianna knew nothing of what was happening in the other world or what the after-effects might be in Talia. But they understood that Rodolfo and William Dethridge were worried and they guessed something of what Laura had done and what Ludo’s fate must be.

‘What a day!’ said Luciano when they were alone at last and all the revellers had dispersed. ‘Vicky here, Rinaldo murdered, Ludo dead and Laura performing a “translation” – was there ever a wedding like it?’

‘Oh, I’m glad you also remembered that we got married as well,’ said Arianna, taking his arm and twining it round her waist. ‘I thought you were going to leave it off your list.’

‘It was the best thing,’ said Luciano, kissing her.

‘Hmm. Better than death and murder – that’s quite a compliment.’

There was a scratching at the door.

‘Oh, it’s Gello,’ said Arianna, going to let the African cat in. ‘He’s been unsettled by all that noise and the palace shaking.’

The spotted cat snuffed at her hands and went to get Luciano to pet him.

‘He can sleep at the foot of our bed tonight,’ said Luciano, ‘but from tomorrow, he has to spend the night in his stall with Mariotto.’

‘
Our
bed,’ said Arianna. ‘Did you really believe that we would ever get married?’

‘I didn’t dare hope,’ said Luciano. ‘We’ve been through so much. Anything might have happened today.’

‘According to Nick, we might have had Ludo’s bloodstained body thrown into the cathedral,’ said Arianna with a shudder.

‘And instead we got a dead Pope in the Piazza,’ said Luciano.

‘And poor Giuliana’s father,’ said Arianna. ‘I’m going to add that silver we gave him to what we distribute to the people tomorrow.’

‘The Piazza will have to be purified,’ said Luciano, frowning. ‘That was where we first met. I don’t want that scoundrel’s blood polluting it.’

‘Brother Sulien can do that for us,’ said Arianna. ‘Don’t worry – we’ll forget Rinaldo and remember only our first meeting.’

‘When you were so angry with me and I didn’t know why.’ He smiled at her.

‘I expect it won’t be the last time I am angry with you, Duke Luciano,’ said Arianna.

‘Oh Goddess, I’d forgotten that’s what I am. A duke!’

‘But only as my consort,’ said Arianna firmly. ‘You can’t pass any laws or make any important decisions without my approval.’

‘I shouldn’t dream of it, Your Grace,’ said Luciano, gathering his bride into his arms.

Rigello yawned and stretched himself out at the foot of their bed. He would guard them all night long and they in their turn would make him feel safe. As long as Luciano and Arianna were together, he felt that all was right with the world.